Asian American

I have written several times about Jeremy Lin arranging a video chat with my Asian American daughter both at the height of Linsanity and at the depth of my daughter's ethnic harassment and bullying at the hands of her middle school basketball teammates while the school administrators turned a blind eye to my and my family's numerous complaints about the essentially all-white school's failure to apply its Tltle VI policy to address even one single act, among the scores of humiliating acts our family directly reported to school personnel, beginning with a 7th grade basketball coach, an 8th grade teacher, and moving up through the school board and district superintendent. After a NYC civil rights group, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) intervened on my daughter's behalf (evidencing the extent of how egregious the acts suffered by my daughter actually were–because of the resources involved in representing a single girl in rural eastern Kentucky from the NPO's office in NYC), the group also soon learned that the school administrators continued to act with the same deliberate indifference toward the civil rights group, as they had toward my daughter and my family, and that, incredually, the school district had hidden the fact that it had NO actual Title VI policy at all, and thus no mechanism to address my daugter's civil rights violations in any way. Eventually, AALDEF filed administrative complaints with both the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education–who eventually addressed my daughter's complaints through execution of a Resolution Agreement with the offending school district. During the two-year period my daughter attended the offending school district's middle school, the entire school district did not employ a single minority (including not only teachers, but cafeteria workers, bus drivers or volunteer coaches). If the reader is interested in reading a more detailed description of my daughter's mistreatment, please see the article by WDRB's Eric Crawford, “Kentucky Girl Claims Racial Harassment from Basketball Teammates.”

PERSISTENT Asian American Stereotypes

After moving my daughter to a new school system far away from the offending school district, she is now thriving in every possible way and has not been the subject of a single ethnic slur during her 2+ years at her new school, excelling academically and athletically and being recruited for both her academic and basketball achievements by D-1 basketball schools, including Vanderbilt, Xavier, Ivy League institutions and universities throughout the country.

I mention my daughter's background to show the type of character Jeremy Lin possesses. His 45+ minute video chat with my then 13-year old daughter, which Jeremy arranged between NBA practices, resulting from his mother telling him about my daughter's mistreatment — which she learned of in the Asian American media. Jeremy and my daughter talked about their shared experiences of being the subject of frequent ethnic slurs (chink, gook, etc.) from mean-spirited teammates, classmates, and others, many of whom claimed they were only teasing (as if the harasser's stated intent is relevant in any way), being told frequently that “Asians can't play basketball,” and the myth of the model minority–in which Asian American students are presumed by some American teachers and school personnel to be innately advanced in math and science (and if they are not, they are labeled lazy) and the ridiculous, but persistent, stereotype that Asian Americans are “more suited” for individual “sports” (such as tennis, cross-country and chess) rather than team sports like basketball and football. He also told her to always take the high road and never descend to the level of those who have hurt her and that he knew her to be incredibly brave because she had the courage to stand up against her harassers and the adults within the school Disrict charged with protecting her. He also told her he was sure most of her tormentors would be unable to cope with issues unique to Asian Americans and to stay the course, regardless of how someone tries to label you. [Actually, Jeremy's advice to my teenage daughter could be instructive to adults, as well as teenagers.]

At the conclusion of their video chat, Jeremy left my daughter with his agent's cell phone number and told her several times that she could get in touch with him anytime she needed to talk about anything. Fortunately, his reassuring talk lifted the self-esteem of my daughter before she moved to her new school and, in the nick of time, renewed her interest in basketball and academic achievement and, most importantly, her trust in her new fellow students.

It is not in the least surprising to me that Jeremy Lin has decided to speak out on the deleterious issues faced by Asian Americans–issues to which other ethnic groups are largely immune.

This isn't to say that other ethnic and racial groups in America do not face daunting issues, perhaps even more so than Asian Americans. I am a Human Rights Commissioner, and, of course know that there are other critically important racial and religious intolerance policies and issues outside the Asian American community which have spurred organizations to “fight the American political system” (whatever that may mean, if anything, in today's modern world). #BlackLivesMatter, of course they do, and while I have a great number of friends who practice the Islamic faith, my Muslim friends are kind and gentle people who are horrified by the atrocities committed by Islamic extremists.

This blog post, though, is written as a tribute to Jeremy Lin, who not only helped my daughter come to terms with who she is a human being and who has the potential to succeed in life (a difficult concept for a middle school girl to grasp), but also as a thank you note to Jeremy because he was willing to take a risk to his professional career in order to begin a public discussion about the other side of the back-handed compliment of the so-called “model minority” stereotype–the side, not of conforming, curve-busting students, but of the incredible academic pressures bearing, sometimes, intolerably down on Asian American students and consequent suicides where “every homework assignment, every project, every test [for an Asian American student] could be the difference . . . The difference between success and failure. The difference between happiness and misery.” The quotation cited above comes from an on-line piece from CHRON, a media outlet in Houston, and is entitled, “Former Rockets guard Jeremy Lin opens up about academic pressures and suicides” and is important reading to anyone associated with or part of the Asian American community. [Matt Young, December 16, 2015]

It really should come as no surprise that Jeremy Lin is once again standing up for marginalized groups of Americans on the video (“Jeremy Lin's Advice on Bullying“) posted to the U.S. Department of Education's YouTube channel a couple of months ago as part of the White House Asian American Pacific Islander Initiative, Anti-Bullying Campaign.

The point of this post is simply to thank a kind and compassionate young man, who just happens to play in the NBA, for restoring my daughter's self-esteem through a call he generated–simply because he cared, cared for one single Asian American teenager facing a part of his past in an isolated community in Kentucky–and, in doing so, unlocked so many potential opportunities for the remainder of her life. I knew it would only be a matter of time before he spoke, not just to my daughter about the unique challenges of simply being an Asian America in the USA, but to a much wider audience who respect him, his humor and his display of personal courage to succeed where so many have failed.

I am traveling to yet another showcase basketball tournament where my daughter Milena will play tomorrow–this time the 2015 Springtime Showdown in Murfeesboro, Tennessee, one of scores of such tournaments she has played in over the years. During a driving break, I came across the article linked below. The article struck a chord with me because my daughter Milena, a muscular 5′ 11″ Asian-American post player, and I have made a game out of searching for just one other post player of Asian descent (a variation of the snipe hunting game, considering the lack of success we have had in our searches) though we have, on rare occasions, spotted an Asian American point guard at a tournament.

I know this season as a Los Angeles Laker has not been a great one for Jeremy (though he has played well the last five games), but I also know he is one of the most down-to-earth, compassionate men (regardless of profession or status) I have ever met. I was shocked last year when he called to set up a video call with Milena when things were not going so well, spoke to her about their shared experiences as Asian American basketball players and their Christian faith, and left his cell number with her in the event she ever “needed to talk, about anything.” He is one of the few positive Asian American role models for basketball players at any level. I wish him all possible success with his future in the NBA, not only because he is a positive role model for young Asian American basketball players like my daughter, but because he is a genuinely good and decent human being–just the type of person who deserves a break.

The March 3, 2015 edition of The Terry Clarke Daily is out. I appreciate the response so far, and I have incorporated several issues into regular articles at the request of many of the publication's readers. I continue to request additional areas of interest readers would like to see in future editions.

UPDATE: PLEASE EXCUSE THE MANY INEXCUSABLE TYPOGRAPHICAL, GRAMMATICAL AND STYLISTIC ERRORS IN THE FIRST POST, PUBLISHED JUST AFTER I FINISHED COMPOSING IT, BLEARY EYED, AND FATIQUED AFTER 2:00 AM.

This is a “quickie” post, one in which a better human would not have troubled himself, or even worse, I pity those unfortunate souls who may happen upon the post inadvertently. After building a fairly large Twitter following (at least by my standards, a bar set much lower than my teenage’s daughters). Next, I began this blog and though I wish my health would cooperate a bit more, I find writing on any subject that I find new or refreshing to be quite good for my soul . . . and I especially enjoy discussing the concepts discussed in my posts with people who may have had a very different take on a subject than me OR even downright dispised the sight of my name for coming to a particular opinion in a post.

The point of this brief (and shamefully self-serving post) is to boast that I bought a new camera and a suite of video-editing software and posted (though I couldn’t for the life of me remember how I was able to do so) my first videos on YouTube. Of course, I had the perfect subject for creating a video– my daughter (the best one on the planet I regret to advise you readers and fellow-bloggers, who, yourself have daughters-no doubt fine, upstanding daughters, just not quite as good as mine, I’m sure you would agree). I apologize for your misfortune in raising a daughter not quite as perfect as mine, but I must have at least something in my life which brings me supreme joy and unconditional love.

In any event, my daughter fits the Asian American “model minority” stereotype in that she excels in academics, but veers far from it in a Linsanity kind of way when it comes to basketball. Though she is just 15, she has heard from or taken unofficial visits (for basketball recruiting purposes) to teams from the Big East, SEC, Pac 10, and as one of the very few Asian American post players we see while playing in tournaments throughout the Midwest and Southeast, she has also heard from several Ivy League women’s basketball programs (a perfect marriage of her athleticism and her model minority approach to academics).

Back to my original point: My successful creation and uploading of rudimentary video clips on YouTube. Please check out the videos and let me know what you think, unless, of course, you are compelled in any way to critique my daughter. She is obviously easy to spot on the court for reasons that are self apparent. I am including a few pictures of her just above the YouTube links to my videos in which she was cast in the leading role. In order for you to get an idea of just how tall she is (5′ 11″), I’ll include a picture of her posing with me (the ugly old guy, just shy of 6′ 2″).

Before closing, I must say as an Ethnic Kazakh growing up in rural Kentucky, my daughter is quite an anomaly, speaking three languages: English, Russian (her first language-a combination which profoundly confuses people in our area who can identify the Russian language but cannot reconcile hearing the Russian language coming from an Asian’s mouth) and her final language, “Appalachian Hillbilly,” which betrays her even more than her use of the Russian language.

I have written several posts about the unaddressed bullying of my Asian American daughter (who excels academically and athletically) at her former school. After some brief research, I soon learned that my daughter’s mistreatment was not unusual for Asian American students attending American public schools. In response to this bullying epidemic and other issues facing the Asian American community, President Obama established the AAPI Initiative to seek redress for these issues.(See http://www.whitehouse.gov/aapi.

The article linked below contains numerous resources of assistance to one seeking information on bullying of Asian students.

I agree. I think former NBA Commissioner David Stern was right on point during the height of “Linsanity” when he suggested that discrimination and/or inaccurate Asian stereotypes contributed to Jeremy’s inability to gain substantial playing time.

Why was Jeremy Lin’s s superior play described as “against all odds.” He has the height and quickness to play in the NBA. Apparently, his Asian features were the only odds he was facing.

My ethnic Kazakh daughter certainly excels at basketball despite her Asian features. Her size,nearly 6′ (150 cm), and strength have not held her back, though she has endured the same ethnic/racial taunts and slurs as has Jeremy. Jeremy is the most humble and compassionate professional sports figure With whom I have ever spoken (though former New England Patriot WR, Troy Brown, is in in that class also). Mr. Lin, after learning from his mother of my daughter’s mistreatment from her former teammates, arranged and had a 30 minute video chat with my daughter, discussing their shared experiences and giving her practical advice on dealing with the slurs and taunts.

Hours & Info

I am first and foremost a father to a wonderful Ethnic Kazakh teenage daughter, I am an environmental attorney, professor, Human Rights Commissioner, and deeply committed to ending racism (to the extent it is possible), eradicating bullying in our nation's schools and the teachers who turn a blind eye to the victims. In short, my goal is too make the world just a little better place with the time I have left. I have an interest in my daughter's Kazakh heritage, Central Asia and the countries of the former USSR. I am also a huge basketball fan and enjoy watching my 6', 158 pound daughter excel in basketball at the highest levels of amateur basketball with Kentucky Premier, a Nike sponsored travel team, competing in Nike EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League) tournaments. You can contact me at terryclarke@outlook.com with ANY questions or comments about my interests or subjects you would like to se addressed on my blog. Also you can follow me on Twitter at terryclarke76 or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/terryclarke76.